Commissioner Bob D. Hayter

Bob joined Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) as a regional director in 2006, responsible for the operation of several residential juvenile facilities across the state. He was promoted last year to deputy commissioner of support services, overseeing the department’s administrative, medical, program services and professional development divisions. In November 2014 he was appointed to Commissioner of the Department of Juvenile
Justice.

In addition, he has an extensive background in leadership roles with the Kentucky National Guard, including chief operations officer of Kentucky’s Military Emergency Operations Center immediately after 9/11; liaison officer to multinational forces for the U.S. Army’s 35th Infantry Division in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and was the officer in charge of the planning, training, development and operation of the Commonwealth’s Joint Operations Center.

Bob has received numerous awards for his service, including three Bronze Star Medals, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.

Bob holds an MBA from Touro University in Cypress, CA and a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University.

About Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice

The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice is one of five departments under the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. The department is responsible for prevention programs for at-risk youth, court intake, pre-trial detention, residential placement/treatment services, probation, community aftercare/reintegration programs and youth awaiting adult placement or court.

The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice was established in 1996 with the passage of HB 117 by Kentucky's General Assembly. Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice strives to promote a comprehensive array of cost-effective services for at-risk youth directed toward preventing delinquency, providing efficient rehabilitation services, and altering the rate of recidivism with appropriate aftercare, while minimizing risk to the community. In providing services, the Department supports and believes in the complete involvement of both the family and the community in the rehabilitation process.

Kentucky has been nationally recognized for the continuum of care it provides for rehabilitating delinquent youth. While many state's out-of-home placement options are limited to two or three large institutions, Kentucky is able to serve youth in a variety of small programs designed to meet specific treatment needs.

Our Mission Statement

The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice provides comprehensive services to sentenced, committed, probated, and detained youth and their families, creating opportunities for those youth to develop into productive, responsible citizens while enhancing public safety.

Our Vision
Statement

The Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice aspires to be a premier team of professionals committed to providing life-changing services, resulting in the positive transformation of children, families and communities.

Recent News

Juvenile Justice Data

When reviewing, analyzing, and/or reporting this data, the following information should be considered;

Data in this report is generated per booking of a Juvenile; thus, all aggregate data is based on a detention of a Juvenile, not on the individual Juvenile. One Juvenile will be counted multiple times if booked on multiple offenses occurring at different times within the calendar year.

Data is aggregated per calendar year (January 01 to December 31).

On July 15, 2008 House Bill 384 was enacted to address the critical need to bring the KRS into compliance with the federal Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002 (JJDP Act). This legislation reduced the secure detention timeframes for status offenders and prohibits the placement of dependent, neglected or abused (DNA) children, or “nonoffenders,” in secure detention. Prior to July 15, 2008 a status offense action included Beyond Control, Habitual Runaway and Habitual Truancy charges.

Effective July 15, 2008, House Bill 384 expanded the definition of a status offense action to include tobacco offenses as provided in KRS 438.305 to 438.340 and alcohol offenses as provided in KRS 244.085.

For the purpose of federal compliance monitoring, civil type traffic offenses are also considered status offenses and may be included in this data.

Employee Feedback

The Department of Juvenile Justice would like to offer employees the opportunity to submit suggestions to the Commissioner’s Office to improve services and/or operations to youth and/or staff. Your suggestions are important.

If you would like to send suggestions directly to Commissioner Hayter, please click on the link below and follow the instructions as listed: